Feed mixer



YPatented Dec. 26, 1 933 Bohumil Bouda, Clinton, ,'Iowamassixgnor'tofvT-he Collis compannuClinton, Iowa, a corporation 1 of vIowa.

. jApple-amm December 4,1931. seriarNe. 578,892 l `4 claims? (ergst-'109) l This vinvention relatestovfeed mixers,and its y principal object is theA provision of 'simple and eflicient means for thoroughly andV rapidly mixing' feed. "The' mixer has been, designedto 'handle z ground or cracked grain, suchA as cornmeal,r

wheat ilour middlings, wheat redfdog, fine ground cut groats, ground oil cake meaL'linseedoil meal,v rolled oats, and the-like, and various combinations of .these ingredients, together withfsifted um; meat scrapsandsalt. v 'Y YIn accordance with the' present' invention, the

feed is mixed in water and the mixing is accomplished practically duringlthe time that the feed is being introduced intofthe mixer.l Feed of this f lpi; general character is likely. to floatupon the sur-v face of the water until it Vbecomes at least partially saturated, and with the ordinary mixer consider-l` abletime is lost because rof'this tendency o'f the feed to iloat. n Y y 29; One of the objects of this inventionv is to provide Y specially designed propellers` disposed inv such relation tov each other that the'feedfis instantaneously drawn,v down withthe rwater upon being depositedl thereon and thereafter distributed through the water byf'currentsi whichare set up by the propellers, e .n

Another object dis lthe .provision of high speed propellers having relatively inarrowrand lthin tapering blades, the area .and pitch of which are greatest adjacent the-hubgof the propellerrand gradually becoming less towardsfthe tip thereof, whereby the velocity of thercurrents set Vin ino-- tion adjacent the'hubs of the propellers is greater near the axis of rotationthan at the tips of the Y 435 propellers. This construction andarrangement permits'of the use of a low powered motor for driving the .propellerssat a relatively high speed. Y

Other Vobjects and advantages will appear in the course of this specication, and with said 1,51() objects and advantages invieW, this invention consists in the several novel features of construe# tion, arrangement and combinationof parts hereinafter fully set forth and claimed. v

An exemplication of the invention is illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specication in which-- Figure l 'is a central Vertical longitudinal section through a feed mixer with certain portions partly broken away; eV Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section takenon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the propellers;

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section through one of the blades of the ,propeller taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;`

Fig. 5,' isjai similar section 'taken on the line 5;5'of..F1fg`."3,; and j A` k1 l Fig. 6 'is a similar-section taken' on Vthejline 6.-'-6 of'Fig. 3. f y Referring Vtothedrawng'the reference char- 60 acter "Tde'signates a tankor other open-top 'receptacle'mountedgupon asuitable frame18f` and comprises 'end' walls connected byside walls 10 and, a U-'shaped or trough-like bottom 11'. VAt one end o fr the` tank isa dischargelpipe v12, c ontrolledby a suitable valve (not shown) through which .the mix isy drainedfromthe tank.

. VJournaled in'bear'ings 13 vmounted on the end walls ofgthe tankis a propeller'shaft v14 which project'sbeyond one end wall and is connected 70 t'o and' driven by anelectric motor 15 or other power source. A relatively low powered' motor is desirably. employed. and drives the propellerf shaft at high speed', 1200.`R`. P.' M. being suggestive to obtainv the best results.. L

Pinned or otherwise secured' upon the propeller shaft areQpropellers'l" and'l'l, certain of which are located adjacent the middle of the tank and other's adjacentthe end walls thereofjj While the proportions-.of ther tank and propellers shown sa)l and the Aex'act'spacir'igL of `the latter 'is not 'es-f, sentiall to this ,invention broadly considered, in' actual practice theyrhave vbeerifol'ind to glfe eX- v cellent resultsl' For instance, in a tank four feet long, ninefinch propellers have'be'en foundQde-'rsirable,- the middle 'propellers beingf spaced' approximately ten inches apart, whereas the end propellers vrare -.each spaced approximately ve inches 'from'the'end walls of `the tanl '.'ThsV particular spacing may, howeven'be varied withgiven.- limits,l .but desirably with the middle propellers, spaced' approximately twice' the distance apart that the end propellers are spaced from the end walls.

The blades of the several propellers are directed o5 I l and the middle-'propellers should be placed sufficiently close lto'force the liquid from between them in volume suflicient to create a down current which draws 'down the mix that is being poured into the mixer. The end propellers should be placed close enoughto the end walls of `the tank to propel the current thereagainst with a force suicient to causeA the current to back away again and proceed towards the center andvyet suciently remote from the end walls to permit the current to pass around and overtherpropellers in following this path.

The propellers are of novel design. As shown,

each propeller comprises two blades 18 which project in opposite directions from a hub 19. The blades are relatively narrow and thin and taper from the hub towards their tips. The pitch of the blades is such that the greatest thrust is developed adjacent the hubs and diminishes towards the tips. An example of a desirable shape of blade is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 which are suggestive of the cross section ofthe blade taken at several places thereon. With the use of a propeller of the form illustrated, it may be rotated at high speed through the water with a low powered motor and varying currents are produced in the water, thus distributing the mix therein very thoroughly. f In the operation of the mixer, water is poured into the tank to a level slightly above the tops of the propellers. With the shaft rotating at high speed, the mix is poured into the tank as fast as it submerges, and, as a preference, is poured inat the middle of the tank. `Whenthe required quantity-has been poured in the mixing operation is practically complete, the motor may be stopped directly thereaftenand the mixed feed is drained out through the discharge pipe ready for use.

t During the operation of the mixen'the mix as it falls upon the water is instantly drawn down between the middle propellersand 'is thrust or propelled in opposite directions towards the end 3c propellersy which propel the `mass towardsand againstl the endl walls with suicient force to cause the mass to back away again and proceed toward the middle of the tank where it is again a drawn inwardly'by the middle propellers and again forced back towards the end walls, this action being continued Athroughout the mixing operation. The arrows in Fig. 1 indicate roughly the directions taken by the currents set in motion by the propellers. Because of the vparticular design of the propellers, currents of varying velocity are set up thereby and thus a greater intermingling of the mixture is obtained during the short space of time required to thoroughly mix the feed.

Inv accordance with the present invention,l the mixing is not only obtained by the vaction of the propellers upon the mix itself, but the high efiiciency of the mixer is attributed to the fact that the varying currents are setup in the water by high speed` propellers, which currents carry the mix from the middle of the tank to the ends thereof and back again, thus frequently circulating the mix through the tank during the mixing operation.

I claim: l. A feed mixer in which is comprised a levelbottom tank adapted to, receive water and a mix, a

"zo f axis of the shaft to travel in the reverse direction above the propellers to the middle of the tank.

2. A feed mixer in which is comprised a levelbottom tank adapted to receive water and-a mix, a high speed shaft extending longitudinally therein adjacent the bottom of the tank, and two groupsof propellers alone mounted on said shaft and arranged to propel the contents of the tank from the middle -lower portion thereof to the opposite ends, the middle propellers being spaced suiciently close to instantly draw down any mix deposited upon the water between said propellers, and theend propellers being spaced .sufficiently close to the end walls to propel the mass against said e'nd walls with a force suicient to. carry the mass outwardly and upwardly from the axis of the shaft andto the central upper portion of the tank,

thespace between the two groups of propellers being unobstructed. Y

3. A feed mixer inV which is comprised a levelbottom tank adapted to receive water and a mix, a high speed shaft extending longitudinally therein adjacent the lbottom wall thereof, two oppositely acting propellers mounted on the shaft adjacent the middle of the tank and two oppositely acting propellers mounted on the shaft adjacent the end walls of the tank, the middle propellers beingseparated by only the intervening space and acting to draw the water and mix downward between them and then propel the mass in opposite directions towards the two end propellers, and said end propellers acting to propel the mass against the end walls of the tank, the distance between the end propellers and middle propellers being greater than the distance between the middle propellers, the end walls serving to deflect the mass outward from the axis ofthe shaft towards the top of the tank and the sides of the tank serving to guide the mass back to the space between the middle propellers. v

4. In a feed mixer, a-propeller having blades of relatively narrow outwardly tapering formation and the body of each propeller tapering from its leading edge towards its trailing edge, said blades having theirmaximum pitch and area adjacent the axis of rotation and their minimum pitch and area at their tips. 

